DAILY DIRT: It’s a night to enjoy the boys who make the noise

Daily Dirt for Friday, May 16, 2025

There will be some hilarious nicknames to accompany the high-powered, ground-pounding behemoths that be visiting Quincy Raceways … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,284 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Tonight’s a big night for local race fans.

The MARS cars bring their touring dirt-track series to Quincy Raceways, and their stop at 8000 Broadway will include some of the top drivers in the nation — and their nicknames.

Personally, half the fun of being a dirt-track fan are those nicknames acquired by drivers over the years, whether they pilot those monstrous super open late models or wheel around in those crazy sprint cars.

Here are some of my favorite late model monikers for the boys who make the noise (most of them have appeared at Quincy over the years):

“The High Side Hustler,” Jason Feger: He’ll have his familiar No. 25 in town tonight.

“The One Man Band,” Dennis Erb Jr.: The veteran should also be in the pits this evening. The nickname comes from Erb’s longtime dependence on a crew of just two: himself and one assistant, as opposed to a half dozen or more you’ll find working with many late model teams.

“The Smooth Operator,” Bobby Pierce: Sadly, Pierce will be missing tonight’s from MAR competition. He’s one of the most enjoyable hotshoes to watch operate his way around a track. Why that nickname? Watch him race just once and you’ll understand.

“Mr. Smooth,” Billy Moyer: The living late model legend has been to Quincy a handful of times and never disappointed.

“Kid Smooth,” Billy Moyer Jr.: What else would he be called?

“The Real Deal,” Don O’Neal: At the peak of his late model career, he was just that.

“The New Deal,” Hudson O’Neal: Yep, he’s the son of Don.

“The Moweaqua Missile,” Shannon Babb: Always one of the crowd favorites at Quincy, Babb’s a good possibility to be in attendance tonight.

“The Squirrel,” Brian Shirley: Another Quincy favorite, look for Shirley to challenge how close he can come to that new concrete wall at the Bullring.

“The Late Model Lawyer,” Denny Woodworth: The nine-time track champ at Quincy and the all-time best nickname for a local driver.

I think those preceding nicknames provide a taste of the flavor you’ll find at one of these major shows. Rarely, if ever, do they disappoint.

Racing is scheduled to begin tonight at 7:15-ish.

One other note when it comes to nicknames. My all-time favorite dirt-track nickname belongs to one of the World of Outlaws greats: Jac “The Wild Child” Haudenschild. He was one of the sport’s all-time aggressive greats and was a long-time rival of such stars as Sammy Swindell and Steve Kinser. I was able to see The Wild Child race several times back when I lived in Ohio (he actually lived just about 30 miles from where I did), and he never disappointed.

2. Did you know that (Part 364)

• That Burger King is unveiling a four-patty giant sandwich, complete with bacon, sauce, lettuce, tomato and cheese. Its name is the Delamaxis. That’s a full pound of meat, for those counting.
• That Burger King’s original name when it opened in 1953 was Insta-Burger King.
• That Wendy’s is credited with introducing the first modern drive-through window for fast-food locations. That was back in 1970.
• That Wendy’s is also credited with being the first fast-food chain to offer salads nationwide. That was in 1992.
• That the modern hamburger bun was invented by Walter Anderson, co-founder of White Castle, in 1916.

3. This week’s spotlighted celebrity birthdays are:

• Entertainer Janet Jackson is 59 today. “Again” will always be my favorite song from Michael’s little sister.
• Actor Pierce Brosnan turns 72, also today. At one time his name was Bond, James Bond.
• Late-night talk show host Craig Ferguson will be 62 on Saturday. He once portrayed the character Nigel Wick on the old “Drew Carey Show”.
• Country superstar George Strait turns 73 on Sunday. And he’s still selling out arenas and stadiums everywhere he goes.
• Rock music legend Pete Townshend will be 80 on Monday. Am I the only one who is surprised Pete has lasted this long?

Steve Thought O’ The Day — For the record, Pete Townshend has smashed 35 guitars in his career.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Brosnan was an excellent Bond, probably third on the medal stand after Connery and Craig.